Adaptor chip supports top HDMI 1.4 data rate of 3 Gbps

Parade Technologies Ltd.'s latest PS8402A IC device is designed to support the new Type 2 cable adaptor configuration.

VESA's (Video Electronics Standards Association) Dual-Mode DisplayPort standard (denoted by the official VESA DP++ logo) enables the connection of DisplayPort video source computers to displays that use DVI or HDMI, the video interface standard universally used by today's televisions.

The new Type 2 adaptor, defined in the recently released VESA Dual-Mode DisplayPort Standard, version 1, nearly doubles the allowed HDMI data rate to 3.0Gbps. The new Type 2 standard also eases system design by relaxing the jitter requirements on the Dual-Mode DisplayPort input, while preserving the HDMI jitter spec on the output. This change in the jitter specification places a greater performance burden on the DisplayPort-to-HDMI adaptor IC.

Parade's PS8402A is designed to meet the new Type 2 adaptor spec by converting the output of a Dual-Mode DisplayPort source device into a standard HDMI or DVI output signal. To improve signal integrity, enable higher data rates, and enhance HDMI jitter compliance on the Type 2 adaptor, the PS8402A also incorporates the proven jitter-cleaning technology used in Parade's HDMI Jitter-Cleaning PS8401 IC.

The PS8402A will allow full HDMI 1.4 display performance from a cable adaptor, says Jimmy Chiu, Executive VP of Marketing of Parade Technologies. The Dual-Mode cable adaptors that exist today limit resolution to 1080p. The new Type 2 cable adaptors, enabled by Parade's PS8402A, will eliminate the need for a separate HDMI connector to support HDMI 1.4 by the desktop or notebook computer.”

The PS8402A is intended for use in low-cost cable adaptors, or dongles, which will enable existing and future DisplayPort-enabled computers to transmit video signals to any HDMI-capable display with higher resolution. Type 2 cable adaptors using the PS8402A are expected to be available by late 2012, and computers supporting the new high-speed capability of the Type 2 adaptors will be available in 2013. The PS8402A can also be used in motherboard and docking applications.

Product Availability
The PS8402A is available in a 40-pin 5x5mm TQFN RoHS compliant package. The device is sampling now, with production quantities expected in December. The PS8402A is priced at $1.50/ea. in high volume.